Choosing the right books to homeschool your children with can be tough. There are so many books out there, so many recommendations, and so many different curriculum plans—how do you go about finding the best stories for your group of homeschool children? Here are a couple of ideas on how to go about picking wholesome, entertaining, and educational stories for your homeschoolers.
Planning Out the School Year
Most teachers and homeschooling parents find that it works best to have a general curriculum outline for the entire year. This way you are not stuck planning new lessons and coming up with fresh ideas while you are busy with family or other activities over a holiday vacation. When it comes to finding fictional literature for the children to enjoy and discuss, a book series comes in very handy. Most book series offers a range of stories but carry the same characters and general settings throughout the series. This makes for in-depth character development observations throughout the year, and children who might normally be uncomfortable with reading may gravitate to a series because they do not feel intimidated by having to learn about new characters in each book they read.
Fads or Long-Standing Classics
When choosing stories for homeschoolers, parents and children are often distracted by the more popular titles. This may not always be the best choice for your kids. If you are homeschooling other people’s children in addition to your own, you may want to be particularly careful of the media you expose them to. Classics have been around a long time for several reasons: they are usually well written, they have a strong storyline that can be easily followed, and they are appropriate for the age they are rated for. Think twice before grabbing the first set of books that you see on the bookstore website; what message are you sending the group with your selection? You want books that tell your children that reading is an essential and fun activity that they are more than capable of. Go for the classics; great classic stories for homeschoolers are guaranteed to go over well with both children and parents.
If you are looking for new stories for young homeschool readers, think about the Happy Hollisters mystery book series by Jerry West. These classics have been enjoyed by millions of children in both homeschool and traditional school settings. Check out the Happy Hollisters store for more information about these entertaining and wholesome books today!